Implementing an absentee ballot carries too much risk of electoral fraud, according to ruling party candidate David Burt.But Mr Burt is of the view that Bermuda has a system of fixed term elections.Mr Burt who is seeking election as the MP for Pembroke West Central, district 18, was asked his position on the absentee ballot at an Alaska Hall press conference yesterday.“If you cannot guarantee that the person on the other end is the person casting the ballot, then it introduces an unacceptable level of fraudulence,” he said.He added that the Progressive Labour Party has a record of championing extensions of the franchise.But he said that any introduction of risk in the electoral process could lead to lengthy litigation.The issue has come to the fore again because of a petition campaign to allow online voting for overseas students who cannot come to the Island to vote.Government has had the issue on its agenda since 2005 but it dropped off the radar until raised again by two Bermudian students and the OBA.A statement issued by the PLP this week said that it was “examining the various options surrounding absentee balloting, ensuring that adequate protection is in place to maintain the validity and legitimacy of the electoral process”.That, according to the OBA, is not good enough.“This is an issue the Government has spoken about for years, with no progress,” a spokesperson for the OBA offered yesterday.“Now, with an election less than five weeks away and facing a protest from overseas students who will not be able to vote on December 17, we are told the matter is once again under review. It’s not good enough.“Bermuda doesn’t need an election-time government. It needs a full-time government focusing on the people’s business — in this case, ensuring that all eligible voters have a say in the future of their Country.”Asked whether fixed term elections could be an acceptable alternative to absentee balloting, Mr Burt said: “We have fixed term elections now. Parliament sits for five years as per the Constitution.”Mr Burt’s understanding is incorrect. Parliament can sit for no longer than five years before it is dissolved. But an election can be called at any time within the life of a Parliament.General elections have been called every four or five years since 1993, at the discretion of the Premier who advises the Governor to dissolve Parliament.Four general elections were held between 1980 and 1989.The Opposition One Bermuda Alliance is promising an absentee ballot system, extension of advance polling and fixed term elections should it become the next government.Fixed term elections occur on a set date which cannot be changed by politicians in power.The United Kingdom moved to fixed term elections after passage of its Fixed Term Parliaments Act last year.The new law provides for the UK’s first fixed term election to be held in May 2015 and also allows early elections to be held under certain conditions.